Thank you for your comments gents:
David, yes I am aware of the restrictions imposed on container vessels. On every container vessel the GA plans are prominently displayed indicating the maximum 'on deck' container stowage and mimimum line-of-sight forward from the bridge. It was just that with 8 high stowage immediately forward of the bridge, the view ahead was impressively devoid of anything -except a flat plane of containers!
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Reg, an intriguing story and, sad to say, this is not the first report of stowaways being thrown overboard from certain flag states. As you know, stowaways create bureaucratic nightmares for Masters, shipping companies and shoreside authorities alike. Many countries refuse to accept unidentifiable stowaways as they are more often economic refugees, rather than any other category.
Furthermore, it is impossible to determine onboard the status of the stowaway, who could be an illegal immigrant, a wanted criminal, an economic refugee or an asylum seeker.
West Africa springs to mind.
Vessels have been forced to keep the stowaway on board, & /or, return the unfortunate 'passenger' from whence they came. An impossibility if they are without ID.
Paragraph 3 of the IMO guideleines relating to stowaways sums up the problems well:-
"The resolution of stowaway cases is difficult because of different national legislation in each of the potentially several countries involved: the country of embarkation, the country of disembarkation, the flag state of the vessel, the country of apparent, claimed or actual nationality/citizenship of the stowaway, and countries of transit during repatriation."
For a full list of the guidelines see here:-
http://www.eurasylum.org/stowaway/news/imo.html
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Dobar dan Jadran, this story had a happy ending, many allegations of stowaways being murdered exist; here is one example: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10323179
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Clyde, hopefully many more to come in the future!

Thanks & regards, Rick

Thank you Rick for letting shipspotters see inside the subjects most of us only see from outside.

REG: A Terrifying & horror story with happy-end.
Well written,Reg!!

"Old school philosophy when it comes to training and operations Denis but bang up to date with cabins & welfare on board."

My favorite Evergreen story came from an old North Sea Pilot I sailed with about 20 years ago. He told me he was on an Evergreen ship that had just come up from the south, and which had picked up a stowaway in Spain. The captain, who was Chinese, asked the Pilot, who was British, if he would question the stowaway, who was Spanish, on the basis that, since they were both European, then they must have some language in common (which they didn't). When the pilot asked the captain what he was going to do with the stowaway, the captain replied that he was going to keep the stowaway on board until the ship got back out into the Atlantic and then he was going to throw him overboard. The pilot insisted that the captain said that as if it were the most natural and matter-of-fact thing in the world to do. The Pilot said that he managed to persuade the British immigration officials Britain, who initially didn't want anything to do with the stowaway, to take him off the ship anyway, simply in order to save his life!

Thanks for this great shot! At first I thought of an older ship as the bridge has a really classic look compared to other box carriers nowadays.
The 'limited' view from the bridge is a problem on almost every container ship and one of the reasons to move the deckhouse towards the bow on the >13kTEU vessels. Regarding to rules of the IMO you have to see the sea at about 2 shiplength forward of the bow which gives a line of visibility which limits the height of the container stacks.
Regards, David

Old school philosophy when it comes to training and operations Denis but bang up to date with cabins & welfare on board.
Have to say that with a full load, 8 high stack, forward, visibility from the bridge was, shall we say, 'Limited'. It appeared that you couldn't see the sea ahead for an unfeasible distance...
Regards, Rick

Old school or just SPARTA! Seriously, that bench probably is the only thing you can sit on there except the floor. :D